Brutality of this World
by Ionuneos
Summary: An outcast Pikachu is forced to thrive for himself after...an incident. He fights against the odds and perseveres, but will that even be enough?
1. The Boy

_It was bound to happen, I suppose._

Rain. Constantly, rain was falling from the heavily guarded sky above. Threatening clouds loomed overhead, and they had no intent on leaving.

_I am different. I must accept that._

The forest's trees were the only thing protecting him from getting soaked by the endless waterfall above.

_Though, perhaps that is my destiny. Ignored. Alone. Abandoned. Tossed aside as if I deserve no care. No love._

It was the peak of the afternoon.

_I am different. I am not the same as the others, so that means I am to be shunned. Apparently. I do not understand why, and I don't think I ever will._

His legs were too tired to continue. He fell to the base of the tree and rested, wondering how he was supposed to survive.

_I am deformed. Incomplete. Though I don't possess the skills others like me have, must I be forgotton?_

His thoughts turned to the events earlier that day.

_The elder, yelling at me. My friends, turned against me. My mother, crying. My father, absent from the entire ordeal. I was forced to leave. I wasn't allowed to remain with my clan, my friends...my family. I wasn't allowed to take anything of mine with me. I suppose I should be thankful I escaped with my life. All of this because I told whom I thought was my closest friend about my disability...Yet, I hold no hatred. Regret and grudges will only burden me. In this maze of a forest, anger will only cloud my vision all the more. It is time. I must continue fleeing. They may still be after me._

He dusted the dirt off of his shivering, damp body, and continued walking. Hearing the cries of birds only discouraged him more as he thought about how nice it would be to have the ability of flight. He could then free himself of the clan that may still be hunting for him, and possibly find refuge, somewhere he would be accepted. As his mind grasped tightly around the fact that such is impossible, a disheartened sigh escaped him as he continued trudging onward.

A strangely large fur tree snipped at his attention. He observed the details of it. The rough wood trickled through the hand that was rubbing it. He felt the soft, thin leaf that had dropped to the ground, which helped comforted his soul, though nothing could mend his broken spirit. He spotted but a tiny insect, having slipped off of the wet bark, and landed on it's back, unable to move. It's legs raced through the air to no avail. He carefully lay his hand near it, allowing the legs to grasp onto it. When they had, the insect quickly took flight, blowing away into the dense brush that lay ahead.

_Such innocence._

He continued pacing through the muddy trail.

_I wonder what it's like to be truly free. The heavenly sun, warming your very soul, with friends joyfully enjoying each other's company. Yet...I must accept that this may never be a reality to me. I may never know what it's like to have friends around me. Anymore. ...Betrayal. Through torch's blaze and spear-point of a weapon, nothing can cut so deeply as being betrayed. Perhaps I am angrier than I thought._

He chuckled to himself.

_But must I despise myself for being so? I've been accepted, welcomed, greeted, every day of my life whilst I was in that clan. Surely having my trust turned around is something to become, at the least, the slightest hint angered about._

"Oh, cool! A Pikachu!"

_Hm? What is this? A...human?_

"I'm gonna capture you! Go, Sentret!"

He looked up and down this human who was standing in his way. A red baseball cap on his head. A rain-coated yellow T-shirt over his body.

_Capture? What is it that you shall gain by enslaving me?_

Brown shorts. Black shoes.

_Do you wish me to fight along side you? Or do you intend to harm me?_

"Sentret! Let's use Tackle, and get us a new friend!"

_Friend? You wish to befriend me? I am sorry. I cannot be accepted by my own kind, so I shall not be accepted by humans. I have no interest in entering the sport of battle, be it friendly or not. Perhaps your search will be better off elsewhere._

He turned to another direction and left quietly. The Trainer's reaction of him doing so meant nothing to him.

_I do not understand. What do humans receive from trapping us in small orbs? Perhaps they enjoy watching us get harmed in battle._

The grass in his path thickened. He put his thoughts aside, mindful of other creatures that may attack him. He was able to escape the tall weeds without hindrance; however, his ears perked at the sound of wings flapping loudly nearby. He turned his head around to see a flock of Spearow, being led by a war-torn Pidgeotto, flying towards him in the distance. Rather than react, he stayed motionless, carefully observing them.

_...It is true. They wish to harm me. Very well. They have done nothing to me, so I shall wait..._

The birds' flying was a much faster form of travel than his walking, thus they quickly caught up to him. Upon encircling him, some of them began pecking at him with their beaks. Others charged up for a strong aireal attack. The leader of the group stayed hovering in the air, watching, carefully waiting.

He was unguarded. Defenseless...Hopeless. The onslaught of attacks was too much for his body to handle. His very skin began getting torn off, causing blood to jump into the air as he was hit, sent rolling across the dirty ground. His arm twitched as he could feel the crucial-to-life liquid flowing down his face in a crooked line.

If only he had never told anybody of his ailment. If only he lived in a different place. If only he had stayed with that Trainer. If only...

The Pidgeotto shrieked, garnering everybody's attention. Suddenly, they began flying away, some very reluctant. Disgusted that they never had a turn to attack the dying creature themselves. The same creature that laid on the ground motionlessly. Starving for both, physical food, and spiritual. For the first time in many years, tears came to his eyes. Slowly, painfully, they collided with the blood that was also streaked across his face.

_No longer do I have a mother to bandage my wounds...No longer, a father to teach me how to defend myself...No longer, friends to help me...I am...alone._

His thoughts faded. His eyes shut. With his last ounce of strength, he told himself that he no longer had to worry about the future...for the end was here.


	2. The Girl

_What...what is this?_

He jumped to his feet and scanned his surroundings mercilessly. No longer was he in the forest, left for dead. Rather, he was inside a building. The walls were a fuchsia. A rather bright fuchsia, that somewhat hurt his weakened eyes. The atmosphere inside this mysterious place was pleasant and friendly. Nothing like what he had been used to after the events of yesterday. He felt something taped to his head. A bandage, perhaps?

_Where am I?_

"...Don't worry! This Pikachu will be just as good as new after a good night's rest!"

He swiftly turned his head to the non-threatening voice. There was a human...no, two. Both females, and they were blocked from each other by means of a large glass...counter. Something similar to what he had seen back in his home, though rather than circular, this object was more rectangular.

"Dank you, ma'am! May I pwease see the Pikychu now?"

_Oh?_

He now turned to the other human. She was much shorter than the other one. He blinked at her curiously. His head turned back to the taller of the women when her own head turned to him.

"Oh! It seems as though it's awake. You can talk to it for a minute, but it also needs some rest!"

The girl innocently pranced over to the other side of the fallen glass pillar. She fell to her knees and picked him up. She gave him a smile that was innocent. Energetic. Yet...disturbing.

"Hiya! I'm Katalin. I found you in duh road with a buncha boo-boos! I bought you alllll da way here so the noise could help ya!"

_You...saved me? You braved the dangers of that forest for the sake of me?_

"Do you wanna be my Pokuhmon!? We could be da best a friends!"

_Mm...so she also wishes to befriend me, much like that boy I met in the forest. Why is it that I am so well accepted by humans, yet forced out by my own kind?_

He grew a small smile, thinking about the irony.

_I must thank you for saving me, though I must also decline your request. I have said it before, and I shall say it again; though you may not know it now, I have a deformity...a curse...a problem, and I am quite sure that you will dislike me when you find out about it. I shall be useless to you. Once more, thank you for saving me._

He jumped out of her lap and dashed out of the building, leaving the automatic doors behind him.

"Wait!"

"Where ya goin, Pikychu!?"

He felt the vibrations in the ground beneath him. He was being followed by that girl again. Does she really wish to take care of him so much? Is she willing to go so far as to chase him in order to help him? To become friends with him? He stopped and looked back at her.

"Oh, dank goodness you stopped! I'm alllllll outta breath! Huff! Huff!"

He couldn't stop the laughter from rising up from the bottom of his insides and out of his mouth.

_Though I must confess that I am not very wise in the way of humans, I do not believe it's necessary to actually say 'huff'..._

This girl put her hands against her waist, as if ready to scold the creature. Though, she may not even be capable of such a feat. She was much too kind to think about degrading such a being.

"You're still hert, mistir! You need to stay in the Pokeymon Centar where the noise can help you!"

_I'm sorry. I don't have the time to rest in one place. I must continue. Endure the pain that still lasts inside of me. It is the only way I can feel free from the wrath of the clan that I once called my own._

Once more, he dashed away and out of her reach. As he passed over many sharp pebbles, and, contrastably, soft blades of grass, he thought about the girl's kindness, then about the boy.

_Would that boy...have also saved me? I wonder? _

He disappeared into a forest of trees, cloaking himself in the veil of brush.

"Wait...come back, Pikychu..."

He fell to the base of a healthy maple tree, resting his back against its very fiber. A downtrodded sigh escaped him.

_Perhaps...it was time. Perhaps that human was supposed to be my first companion after my clan, and family._

He looked around the tree and to the other side of it. He somehow still spotted the girl in the distance. She was sitting down on the dusty trail. Perhaps waiting for him to come back.

_No, it mustn't be. It is my destiny to not get accepted. I refuse to go through another episode of what happened back in the forest. Neglected once my friends found out about my disability. That did naught but waste everybody's time...likewise, I shall not waste this precious girl's time with me, either. She is so innocent and neutral...yet, I owe her my life._

He prayed for the girl, then forced his body to stand up. He was forced to continue...in whatever direction he was going.

_Perhaps I should have asked for a compass..._

He chuckled.


	3. The Friend

It seemed as though hours, nay, days passed. He was still lost in this field of enormous trees. Oak, fur...many different kinds, and yet, they all began to look the same to him over time. Though he has denied the offers of companionship of two humans --one of which he owes more than gratitude towards-- he wished to find people soon. Perhaps...it wasn't such a good idea to continue in his current state. His body was still weak. And, though perhaps a bit less important, the bandage that resided on his head was rather bothersome.

_This seems to be how life always goes._

Once more, his tired legs passed out as though he hadn't had a decent meal in many days...though, that soon might be the case.

_I wish to take my mind off of my physical pain...but to do that, my mind seems to automatically drift to the emotional pain I also carry with me._

He looked to the sky. Perhaps for answers.

_Is it worth it? Is it worth thinking about that cold rejection, just to discard the thought of pain? The scarring words given to me by none other than my brothers, to forget about this medical item lodged onto my head?_

His head quickly turned to the side. His ears pointed themselves in the air.

_Oh?_ _Do you wish to attack me again?_

Standing before him was a bird. He was assuming it was one that had previously attacked him, back in the forest. It squawked at him fiercely.

He sighed, and turned his head from the creature back to the clouds above them. Still, how he wished he could fly.

_I am too tired to defend myself. Too feeble in my current state. If seeing me bleed is so important to you, I shall not stand in your way._

Once more, the small bird --a foot high, perhaps-- screamed in his face. However, it was different this time. This roar wasn't one of intimidation; rather, pain. He turned his eyes back in front of him to see a long stream of electric energy zapping his opposer. He gasped.

_What's this?!_

This charge of lightning ended, and the bird was smoldering. Exhausted from the rather shocking surprise attack, the poor creature hurriedly scuttled away, as if he was a fugitive on the run from thousands of criminal-stopping warriors. He admitted to chuckling at the sight, but his senses soon came back to him, and he turned his head back the other way to see where the attack had even come from. Another, louder, gasp swiftly escaped from his mouth.

"Are you hurt?"

Her words were kind, as if from a guardian angel. Though, perhaps that's what she was. He watched blankly as she dashed over to him. She stood in front of him, panting occasionally.

"_Who...Who are you?_"

He was almost as surprised at his words as she probably was. It was the first time he had heard his own voice since...the incident.

"I am but a Pichu."

_Her right ear...it is..._

"And I have been sent out of my tribe. I am but three months into this world, and I am forced to survive on my own. I mean this not sound rude...but, perhaps you also have befallen the same fate?"

_...Missing._

"...I am sorry? Is there something wrong?"

"_Oh! Forgive me!_"

He couldn't believe he was so distracted by her physical appearance, he hadn't even heard her question.

She chuckled.

"It is well. You are not the first to glare at me as if I am some alien, I assure you. Yet, at the same time, I sense that you are familiar with the same burdens I carry...is this correct?"

He turned his head.

"_Indeed._"

"You are not capable of storing energy within your electric pouches, are you?"

He gasped.

_How? How does she...know? Perhaps...she was part of my clan? No...I do not recall her face. Surely I have not been gone long enough for them to allow in new friends, yet, also disband this young one._

Her head fell to the ground. Possibly an attempt to hide the small smirk on her lower face.

"We are currently heading in the direction of Mount Moon. We shall travel together. It will be safer for both of us that way. And I also believe..."

She looked up to him. Her smile, wide. Her eyes, twinkling with ecstasy.

"...Perhaps, we shall become friends. Though our disabilities are, indeed, quite unique from each other, we are both one and the same. Rejected by those we once called friends."

So she also wished to befriend him. However, her points were too strong; indeed, these two came from very similar backgrounds. Though it still felt more like a house built upon sand rather than rock to him, he knew...it was time. For his first companion since the separation from his beloved family. And in time, that feeling of anxiety would fade, as he knew that he could trust this young girl. He also found a smile across his face...the first time in, perhaps, days. His body received newfound energy as it sprung to life; willing to obey his commands to continue pressing forward.

_Yes...let us go. I shall be putting much faith in the powers you have that I lack...likewise, I hope for you to do the same. Now, onward! ...To Mount Moon, was it?_


	4. The Man

"If we are to continue in this direction, we shall reach Mount Moon by nightfall. It is there we shall rest comfortably, and tomorrow, we shall resume our journey."

_My...This is...rather strange._

He chuckled, though he kept it to himself. He did not wish his new companion to hear him, so he tried to keep it inaudible.

_She is so mature. She admits to being not a day over three months old, and yet, she is so mature. Despite the difficulty she must have in sensing objects, she stands proud and confidently. Lovely. Divine._

He turned his head away. A rather embarrassed smile was on his lower face.

_Perhaps I should focus on our current mission, and think about such things later._

Still, they trudged onward. In this forest, where nothing seemed to change. The trees repeated. The same, innocent birds flew over the tops of those same trees. It was as if they were walking around in a rather large circle.

"You have...a bandage on your forehead. Are you injured?"

_...Caring._

He looked at her.

"_I am well, thank you._"

Suddenly, this young maiden giggled, as if she was hiding something mischievously.

He was somewhat surprised when she explained herself.

"It is...ironic that we should find each other. I shall help protect you from enemies we face. Likewise, you shall listen, so perhaps we can hide from those enemies before hand, hm?"

He chuckled.

"_Indeed._"

Suddenly, his friend stopped. This also forced him to stop abruptly.

"Am I...incorrect? Perhaps, but it seems as though we are...being followed."

He looked into the tall tree branches above. He ignored the miniscule amounts of sunshine that crept through the cracks of the leaves above. Nobody was hiding in any of the branches. He looked over his shoulder. As if magically...indeed, a tall human was walking towards them. He was rather ashamed that he had not sensed his coming before that.

"_What do you wish to do?_"

She also looked over her shoulder. When she spotted this human, she turned around to face him. An angelic expression was on her rather beautiful face.

"Very well. This human has done nothing to us, so we shall wait."

_Mm..._

This human. As he drew closer, he was much taller than they had expected when they spotted him so far back. His face was rather cold. His uniform seemed to want to be camouflage, though, it was rather the wrong color for such.

Once more, his friend giggled.

"Perhaps it is just my naivety, but I must wonder why humans feel they need to clothe themselves. We are not so diverse from them, yet, we need none of that material."

This man now towered over them. He was looking down at them without mercy. Bloodlust. Anger in his very pupils.

"Get outta mah way!"

_A 'please,' perhaps?_

He chuckled, then stepped out of the way for the man. He gasped, however, when his partner hadn't moved.

"I said get outta mah way!"

This rather troubled man repeated. Such a gruff, annoying voice.

He wondered what he would do if he had the ability that others of his kind have right now. He watched in silence as the man lifted some foreign machine up. A capturing device...? No, it was much to awkward a design for that...

This man spat on the ground.

"Ya lil' varmint. Ya got 'til the count 'a two to get outta mah way."

Now he recognized the contraption. It was, perhaps, worse than the small orb humans used to enslave creatures. Much worse, apparently. He had a decision. No, he didn't. He had no choice.

"One..."

He reacted. He started dashing towards his friend.

"Three..."

He gave as strong of a push to her as he could get. He fell to the ground, face-first, while his friend tumbled away a few steps. His useless electrical pouches were dirtied, though, this meant nothing to him at the moment.

"TWO!"

...Pop.

This...indescribable pinging noise echoed so loudly through the forest. It was impossible to fathom that not every living creature heard it. Birds began scurrying away hurriedly, terrified by the sudden shout. Perhaps even some of the inanimate objects heard this sound.

As if he had some disorder, once more, this man spat on the ground.

"Dumb varmint..."

The man walked past them as if nothing had happened. He disappeared as he continued down the trail.

His friend, however, knew something had happened, though, she couldn't quite explain what. All she knew was that the same liquid that rushed out of her body just three months ago was now coming out of her friend, as well. Uncontrollably. This red juice wouldn't stop blurting out. The healthy grass soon seemed as though a magnificent battle fought for centuries without rest had been fought there. She rushed to his side.

"I...do not understand. What has taken place?"

He looked back at her weakly. His eyes were filled with tears, though, it was so strange...a smile was also on his face.

"_...My friend. Go, and do not look back._"

"I am sorry?"

"_I will soon be but a shadow to this world...You shall not. You shall live, and run freely._"

He writhed at the intense pain bothering him.

"_...Rest assured, that if it is within my power to do so, I will keep a watch on you...My friend..._"

His eyes closed.

_And...so...It is true. I am not welcomed in this world._

He gave one last weak, but strong; caring, yet troubled final smile.

_Perhaps...next time._

His friend observed him curiously as he gave one long breath. After he had done so...nothing. Not once more did his chest inflate again.

This is what caused tears to begin swelling strongly inside his only friend's eyes. After a moment, she walked closer to him. Closer. Stepping on his blood that drenched the ground beneath her feet. She didn't care. She fell onto his disturbingly lifeless body and wept. Though she wished to deny it, deep down, inside her innocent heart, she knew that the only one whom she could call a true friend...would never open his eyes again.


End file.
